CEDA has released Community pulse 2018: the economic disconnect – the initial results from polling exploring Australians’ attitudes to work, education, health, community and the economy.

The first step to Australia regaining momentum for broadbased economic reform is better understanding what the community really cares about. CEDA commissioned the poll to understand Australian public perceptions of and attitudes to growth and economic development and what they think the important issues are for their future and for the future of the nation.

After 26 years of uninterrupted economic growth, this report examines:

how satisfied Australians are with their current circumstances;

who they think has gained from this growth; and

what the most important issues are for them personally and for Australia.

Key findings include:

Five per cent of people believe they have personally gained a lot;

31 per cent of people are finding it difficult to live on their current income;

74 per cent of people believe large corporations have gained a lot;

79 per cent of people believe the gap between the richest and poorest Australians is unacceptable.

State results and release events

Community pulse 2018: the economic disconnect was launched on 25 June 2018 at State of the Nation, CEDA's annual public policy conference held in Canberra. CEDA Chief Executive, Melinda Cilento released the report with Jane Halton AO PSM, Tim Gartrell, and Jan Owen AM.

CEDA will also release additional state-specific data results in July and August at events across Australia. At these events new data will be presented to provide an in depth look at attitudes related to each state. Attend your local release event to hear expert discussion on the implications for policy, politics, business and the community sector.

Explore report data: Community pulse

Explore our series of interactives released to coincide with the launch of CEDA's report, Community pulse 2018: the economic disconnect. Discover key insights and share your opinion on Australia's record economic growth and the benefits to everyday Australians.

About the poll

CEDA commissioned an online survey to better understand the community’s views on the most important economic and social issues for Australia. The survey was conducted by Polity Research & Consulting. A general community sample (n=2991) was drawn from a professional market and social research panel, and was sampled and weighted to be representative of the Australian population by age, gender and residential location. Further detail is provided in the methodology section and appendix of the report. The full results are available to access here.

What people say about CEDA

CEDA is doing great work in analysing and promoting discussion for some of the most challenging and important questions facing Australians today including productivity growth, demographic changes and energy policy to name a few. And through this work CEDA is deeply engaged in the conversation about how Australia will develop in the Asian century.

Frances Adamson, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade